Today was a "hang out with Jane" day and it was wonderful! First she took me to one of her favorite cafe's and we picked up yummy croissant sandwiches and took them to another one of her favorite cafe's where we had tea to eat with our croissants. Next we went to a beautiful art gallery that was basically a whole in the wall down a really small street that I would have never found if I hadn't been with her. It was beautiful and I instantly wanted to drop out of school so that I could spend a semesters worth of tuition on art!
After that we went back to the flat, packed some snacks, and set off for Terezin...a concentration camp about an hour outside of Prague. On the way we had fun singing, chatting, and eating but when we got there, suddenly our mood changed. Neither of us had ever been to a concentration camp before and we were not prepared for what we were about to see.
Unfortunately, we got there right as the actually "camp" was closing but we got to go to the barracks where the people lived and the museum that housed room after room of different artwork, music, literature, and poetry that was collected from the camps. After the museum closed we walked around the ghetto for a little bit as it was getting dark. It was beyond creepy and we couldn't imagine how anyone could live in Terezin now, after all that happened during WWII. The town is really run down and very few people were around which made the whole situation even more frightening, especially in the dark...it was as though the town never recovered from its horrendous past.
Terezin was originally a fortified city, (ironically, built to keep the Germans out in the 1780's) but the Nazis forced out the 7,000 people living there to create their prison. What's interesting is that the world was told, that Hitler had built a city for the Jews, to protect them from the vagaries and stresses of the war. A film was made to show this mythic, idyllic city to which his henchmen were taking the Jews from the Czech Lands and eight other countries. This was called the Beautification Campaign that kept the rest of the world in the dark about what was really going on. The Red Cross was even allowed to visit Terezin once. The village of Terezin was spruced up for the occasion. Certain inmates were dressed up and told to stand at strategic places along the specially designated route through Terezin. Shop windows along that carefully guarded path were filled with goods for the day. One young mother remembers seeing the bakery window and shelves suddenly filled with baked goods the inmates had never seen during their time at Terezin.
As we were leaving Terezin we got out of the car and decided to go walk to the gates of the camp and just look inside but as we started walking towards the long path way that led to the gates we couldn't go any further. Jane said it perfectly: I don't think I can walk down this path that thousands of people walked down to their death. So we turned around and headed back to Prague.
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
A Word About Food
My favorite breakfast while I've been here is yogurt and Jane's homemade granola. Now, I'm not talking about Yoplait Light....I'm talking about fresh fruit, whole milk yummy goodness!! It is incredible!!! At first I freaked about a little bit about the fact that I was eating full fat yogurt that tasted more like softened ice cream than a healthy snack until I realize that there are only about 250 calories in a cup!!! Isn't that great? I don't know how they do it but America must learn quickly.
Speaking of calories, I love how on the nutrition labels over here they call it "energy" instead of "calories". How refreshing! "Calories" has become such a taboo word with immense negative connotations so reading "energy" is a million times better. For example, how wonderful is it to say "My chocolate croissant has 600 units of energy in it! I'm gonna be raring to go today! Watch out world... Give me another one!"
Which reminds me...I have come to stand firm in the belief that while in Europe, eating pastries is equivalent to eating celery. Case closed.
...It's the little things that I love about this country or rather, this continent :-)
Speaking of calories, I love how on the nutrition labels over here they call it "energy" instead of "calories". How refreshing! "Calories" has become such a taboo word with immense negative connotations so reading "energy" is a million times better. For example, how wonderful is it to say "My chocolate croissant has 600 units of energy in it! I'm gonna be raring to go today! Watch out world... Give me another one!"
Which reminds me...I have come to stand firm in the belief that while in Europe, eating pastries is equivalent to eating celery. Case closed.
...It's the little things that I love about this country or rather, this continent :-)
Monday, January 28, 2008
Cesky Krumlov....
...is beautiful!!
I made it to the bus (which alone, is worth celebrating) and traveled 3 hours to the beautiful little town. I spent the afternoon strolling down the winding cobblestone streets, eating the best pizza I have ever had in my life, taking pictures of the quaint little shops and houses, and drinking tea in a little cafe. No complaints here! Well...actually...one: The castle was closed! But I still got to walk around outside I just couldn't go inside.
Me being sad that the castle was closed...
These weird little pieces of bread that they gave me before my pizza came...I felt like I was taking communion
This picture is JUST for YaYa and Papu!!
The beautiful castle
A crucifix on the bridge
Beautiful view from the castle
"If the sight of the blue skies fills you with joy, if a blade of grass springing up in the fields has power to move you, if the simple things in nature have a message you understand. Rejoice, for your soul is alive!" -Elenora Dusa
I made it to the bus (which alone, is worth celebrating) and traveled 3 hours to the beautiful little town. I spent the afternoon strolling down the winding cobblestone streets, eating the best pizza I have ever had in my life, taking pictures of the quaint little shops and houses, and drinking tea in a little cafe. No complaints here! Well...actually...one: The castle was closed! But I still got to walk around outside I just couldn't go inside.
Me being sad that the castle was closed...
These weird little pieces of bread that they gave me before my pizza came...I felt like I was taking communion
This picture is JUST for YaYa and Papu!!
The beautiful castle
A crucifix on the bridge
Beautiful view from the castle
"If the sight of the blue skies fills you with joy, if a blade of grass springing up in the fields has power to move you, if the simple things in nature have a message you understand. Rejoice, for your soul is alive!" -Elenora Dusa
Saturday, January 26, 2008
My New Day Job
I think I am going to be a tour guide instead of a teacher!!
I went on a walking tour yesterday. The tour guide was this wonderful, beautiful, intelligent, funny girl named Kelsey Merriman. Haha...ok so there is this section in my Lonely Planet book called "walking tours" so yesterday, after school I decided to take one. IT WAS WONDERFUL!!!! The book literally told you every step to take and explained the significance along the way. The tour took me through Vysehrad and Vltava beginning at a bunch of old battlements. I saw some beautiful Cubist architecture and had a great view of the city. However, my favorite part was walking along the Vltava River. It was surreal. As I made my way down the embankment I had to stop and take a deep breath. Touring around, it is very easy to walk quickly and check things off your sightseeing list and as I looked out on the river, surrounded by the enchanting architecture of this old city I had to stop and slow down, taking it all in moment by moment. I whispered a quick "Thank You", to God, to the city, and to the purity of heart, for this important reminder as I gazed around at the setting sun and the glassy water.
At the end of my tour I stopped at one of Prague's most famous cafe's, Cafe Slavia. Although more like a restaurant than a cafe, it is absolutely gorgeous! It is adorned in a art deco style and has big windows overlooking the river. I was excited to be there as it is a celebrated literay meeting place where Franz Kafka frequently hung out. Additionally, the first president after the revolution, Vaclav Havel, spent a lot of time there. Surprisingly, it was VERY reasonably priced and I had (what else) DELICIOUS guloush!
After my dinner, I met up with Martin and Jane and we went to see American Gangster (GREAT movie....I recommend it to everyone!). Wonderful night with wonderful friends!
The beginning of my tour
A mom and her adorable daughter feeding the ducks as the sun was setting.
Breathtaking
A picture I took especially for my roommate Kelly
The famous Slavia Cafe
Today didn't exactly go as planned. I didn't get to bed until like 3am (don't ask...right Kyle and Brooke haha) and slept through my alarm, rushed down to the bus station, but missed the only bus going to Cesky Krumlov today. I was super upset but then when I realized that I got to go back to bed, I felt a little bit better about it! After a nap I decided to go see the castle in the daylight and then went on another walking tour (brought you by...ME!) around Wenceslas Square.
Wenceslas Square
Yes, this is the "Good King Wenceslas" from the Christmas carol
A memorial to a University student named Jan Palach who, in 1969, set himself on fire on these steps to protest the Warsaw Pact invasion of Prague. He staggered down the steps in flames and collapsed on the pavement at the foot of the stairs. The next day, 200,000 people gathered here to honour him. He died in the hospital 3 days later. This marks the spot where he fell.
A little Czech Heath Ledger tribute
This man reminded me SO much of my Grandpa Shannon...Grandma I wish you had been there with me!
View from the castle
Cathedral in the daylight!
Amazing
Jane and Martin are babysitting for some friends so I am having a low-key journal/read night.
I'm lovin' it!
I went on a walking tour yesterday. The tour guide was this wonderful, beautiful, intelligent, funny girl named Kelsey Merriman. Haha...ok so there is this section in my Lonely Planet book called "walking tours" so yesterday, after school I decided to take one. IT WAS WONDERFUL!!!! The book literally told you every step to take and explained the significance along the way. The tour took me through Vysehrad and Vltava beginning at a bunch of old battlements. I saw some beautiful Cubist architecture and had a great view of the city. However, my favorite part was walking along the Vltava River. It was surreal. As I made my way down the embankment I had to stop and take a deep breath. Touring around, it is very easy to walk quickly and check things off your sightseeing list and as I looked out on the river, surrounded by the enchanting architecture of this old city I had to stop and slow down, taking it all in moment by moment. I whispered a quick "Thank You", to God, to the city, and to the purity of heart, for this important reminder as I gazed around at the setting sun and the glassy water.
At the end of my tour I stopped at one of Prague's most famous cafe's, Cafe Slavia. Although more like a restaurant than a cafe, it is absolutely gorgeous! It is adorned in a art deco style and has big windows overlooking the river. I was excited to be there as it is a celebrated literay meeting place where Franz Kafka frequently hung out. Additionally, the first president after the revolution, Vaclav Havel, spent a lot of time there. Surprisingly, it was VERY reasonably priced and I had (what else) DELICIOUS guloush!
After my dinner, I met up with Martin and Jane and we went to see American Gangster (GREAT movie....I recommend it to everyone!). Wonderful night with wonderful friends!
The beginning of my tour
A mom and her adorable daughter feeding the ducks as the sun was setting.
Breathtaking
A picture I took especially for my roommate Kelly
The famous Slavia CafeToday didn't exactly go as planned. I didn't get to bed until like 3am (don't ask...right Kyle and Brooke haha) and slept through my alarm, rushed down to the bus station, but missed the only bus going to Cesky Krumlov today. I was super upset but then when I realized that I got to go back to bed, I felt a little bit better about it! After a nap I decided to go see the castle in the daylight and then went on another walking tour (brought you by...ME!) around Wenceslas Square.
Wenceslas Square
Yes, this is the "Good King Wenceslas" from the Christmas carol
A memorial to a University student named Jan Palach who, in 1969, set himself on fire on these steps to protest the Warsaw Pact invasion of Prague. He staggered down the steps in flames and collapsed on the pavement at the foot of the stairs. The next day, 200,000 people gathered here to honour him. He died in the hospital 3 days later. This marks the spot where he fell.
A little Czech Heath Ledger tribute
This man reminded me SO much of my Grandpa Shannon...Grandma I wish you had been there with me!
View from the castle
Cathedral in the daylight!
AmazingJane and Martin are babysitting for some friends so I am having a low-key journal/read night.
I'm lovin' it!
Thursday, January 24, 2008
I Just Can't Get Enough
I love this city! I love it I love it I love it!!!!!
Today was another beautiful day in Praha! The weather has just been amazing lately.....such a blessing....
I'm getting a little bored being at the school. I still love the teachers and students but I am not loving the school as much anymore. There are just lots of things that are a little sketchy. I won't go into detail but I don't think I would want to work here. It has been an incredible experience and I wouldn't change it for the world but I guess it has given me a good picture of school politics, dodgy practices, and strange systems and methods. I think it is safe to say that every school has its...well...issues, and this has opened my eyes to some of those.
Today I had a Linda Buff (my Whitworth advisor) moment. Let me explain...when I had my student teaching interview in the fall, Linda said that my weakness as a teacher was that when I am in other classrooms, I tend to speak my mind and say when I don't like the way things are or don't agree with something. She said that it is important that I sit back and learn from the teachers and not always try to correct them and make things happen "my way". To be honest, I didn't really know what she was talking about at the time. I just kinda nodded and thought "Well I guess she has to think of a weakness and I'm so stinkin' perfect she can't think of anything else" (haha well, kinda). Today I understood:
I was in a year 12 class discussing George Orwell's "1984" and the teacher was talking about the lack of personalization and action in the Newspeak language (if you haven't read this book, this won't make sense). Well, I didn't agree...and I was a little tired of "observing" so I raised my hand and VERY politely told him what I thought. I think I shocked him a little. He continued to disagree with me and I, him. It was kinda funny actually. But afterward he apologized to me and was so afraid that he had hurt my feelings or embarssed me which is funny because I was afraid that I had offended him. We finally laughed and decided we had a good system and that it was good for students to see teachers disagree. Well Linda, I guess you're right...I'll pipe down a little :-)
I was going to hang out at Charles Bridge after school but I was super tired and went home instead. When I got home I got a sudden burst of energy and so Jane and I did Jane Austen's Hip Hop Funk Dance work out video...IT WAS HILARIOUS!!!!! Martin walked in, shook his head, and went straight to his room to read.
After dinner Jane and Martin wanted to show me one of their favorite things to do in the city: walk around the castle at night. It was beautiful....which is the understatement of the year. I am not even going to try to explain the experience because it was surreal and magical and perfect in every way. I felt frozen in time and loved every minute of it. One thing that I have learned about traveling is that taking pictures and writing in journals are 2 of the most frustrating parts. There was no possible way that my camera could capture what my eyes were seeing and this post will not even scratch the surface of explaination. So I quit. You will just have to trust me.
A word about Martin and Jane: They are two of my new favorite people in the whole world. I love them! I can't say it enough. We have so much fun together. I never stop laughing (as you can tell in the pictures). They are such a blessing in my life and I am so thankful for them. If this turned out to be the worst country I have ever seen in my life, it would have all been worth it just to meet this amazing family.
After the castle we went to this little cafe and had hot mulled wine. Well, Martin and I did...Jane had a brownie. As yummy as this drink sounds...I am not a fan, at all. Basically it is hot wine with blended spices I couldn't even drink half of it. But thanks anyway Martin!!
Speaking of hot drinks....as Shakespeare said, "There is something rotten in the state of Denmark"...well Prague but you get the point. The first Starbucks in the Czech Republic just opened. While this might seem like a joyous occasion for many of you I think it's aweful. There are tons and tons of adorable cafes all over the city and big ol' Starbucks decides to come in and throw his weight around. Lame! To make matters worse, it bought out a cafe that had been their for ages and was cute and old and fit the castle surrounding beautifully. Ugh. On a happy note however, I decided I am going to start collecting those Starbucks mugs that say the different cities on them and I want to get one from every city I visit....so now I have one from Prague!
I learned something new today! Jane and Martin told me that before the Revolution in 1989, all of the metro stations used to have different "communist" names. In 1989 all the names changed to what they are now. In one of the metro stations, Andel (which means Angel), there are still some pieces of communist propaganda art. It is still amazing to me to see all the remains of the communist era, as it was not very long ago at all.
I am really beginning to grieve the end of this journey. I know that sounds funny...cheesy even...but I finally checked my tickets made some last minute arrangments. It was really sad!!! I miss everyone at home but I am not in any way ready to leave this country or rather, end this trip. I know that it will be very hard to say goodbye.....to the Hasiks, to the Stevensons, to Pavel, to the Charles Bridge, to the Old Town, to the Metro, to the Prague British School, to the gulash, to the smells, to the sounds....to everything. It's to soon and I am not ready.
After school I am going to go walk along the river, grab a coffee, and read a book.
I could stay here forever.
Martin showing how small the doors to the servants houses are
Soviet propaganda: The boy is holding flags that say that old metro name
The first Starbucks in the Czech Republic :-(
More communist propaganda: The Czech flag and the Russian flag with communist symbol
The Cathedral at Prague Castle
Jane trying to get a picture of me and the whole Cathedral....
Me, Jane, and baby Hasik
Just hanging out in a guard booth!
Today was another beautiful day in Praha! The weather has just been amazing lately.....such a blessing....
I'm getting a little bored being at the school. I still love the teachers and students but I am not loving the school as much anymore. There are just lots of things that are a little sketchy. I won't go into detail but I don't think I would want to work here. It has been an incredible experience and I wouldn't change it for the world but I guess it has given me a good picture of school politics, dodgy practices, and strange systems and methods. I think it is safe to say that every school has its...well...issues, and this has opened my eyes to some of those.
Today I had a Linda Buff (my Whitworth advisor) moment. Let me explain...when I had my student teaching interview in the fall, Linda said that my weakness as a teacher was that when I am in other classrooms, I tend to speak my mind and say when I don't like the way things are or don't agree with something. She said that it is important that I sit back and learn from the teachers and not always try to correct them and make things happen "my way". To be honest, I didn't really know what she was talking about at the time. I just kinda nodded and thought "Well I guess she has to think of a weakness and I'm so stinkin' perfect she can't think of anything else" (haha well, kinda). Today I understood:
I was in a year 12 class discussing George Orwell's "1984" and the teacher was talking about the lack of personalization and action in the Newspeak language (if you haven't read this book, this won't make sense). Well, I didn't agree...and I was a little tired of "observing" so I raised my hand and VERY politely told him what I thought. I think I shocked him a little. He continued to disagree with me and I, him. It was kinda funny actually. But afterward he apologized to me and was so afraid that he had hurt my feelings or embarssed me which is funny because I was afraid that I had offended him. We finally laughed and decided we had a good system and that it was good for students to see teachers disagree. Well Linda, I guess you're right...I'll pipe down a little :-)
I was going to hang out at Charles Bridge after school but I was super tired and went home instead. When I got home I got a sudden burst of energy and so Jane and I did Jane Austen's Hip Hop Funk Dance work out video...IT WAS HILARIOUS!!!!! Martin walked in, shook his head, and went straight to his room to read.
After dinner Jane and Martin wanted to show me one of their favorite things to do in the city: walk around the castle at night. It was beautiful....which is the understatement of the year. I am not even going to try to explain the experience because it was surreal and magical and perfect in every way. I felt frozen in time and loved every minute of it. One thing that I have learned about traveling is that taking pictures and writing in journals are 2 of the most frustrating parts. There was no possible way that my camera could capture what my eyes were seeing and this post will not even scratch the surface of explaination. So I quit. You will just have to trust me.
A word about Martin and Jane: They are two of my new favorite people in the whole world. I love them! I can't say it enough. We have so much fun together. I never stop laughing (as you can tell in the pictures). They are such a blessing in my life and I am so thankful for them. If this turned out to be the worst country I have ever seen in my life, it would have all been worth it just to meet this amazing family.
After the castle we went to this little cafe and had hot mulled wine. Well, Martin and I did...Jane had a brownie. As yummy as this drink sounds...I am not a fan, at all. Basically it is hot wine with blended spices I couldn't even drink half of it. But thanks anyway Martin!!
Speaking of hot drinks....as Shakespeare said, "There is something rotten in the state of Denmark"...well Prague but you get the point. The first Starbucks in the Czech Republic just opened. While this might seem like a joyous occasion for many of you I think it's aweful. There are tons and tons of adorable cafes all over the city and big ol' Starbucks decides to come in and throw his weight around. Lame! To make matters worse, it bought out a cafe that had been their for ages and was cute and old and fit the castle surrounding beautifully. Ugh. On a happy note however, I decided I am going to start collecting those Starbucks mugs that say the different cities on them and I want to get one from every city I visit....so now I have one from Prague!
I learned something new today! Jane and Martin told me that before the Revolution in 1989, all of the metro stations used to have different "communist" names. In 1989 all the names changed to what they are now. In one of the metro stations, Andel (which means Angel), there are still some pieces of communist propaganda art. It is still amazing to me to see all the remains of the communist era, as it was not very long ago at all.
I am really beginning to grieve the end of this journey. I know that sounds funny...cheesy even...but I finally checked my tickets made some last minute arrangments. It was really sad!!! I miss everyone at home but I am not in any way ready to leave this country or rather, end this trip. I know that it will be very hard to say goodbye.....to the Hasiks, to the Stevensons, to Pavel, to the Charles Bridge, to the Old Town, to the Metro, to the Prague British School, to the gulash, to the smells, to the sounds....to everything. It's to soon and I am not ready.
After school I am going to go walk along the river, grab a coffee, and read a book.
I could stay here forever.
Martin showing how small the doors to the servants houses are
Soviet propaganda: The boy is holding flags that say that old metro name
The first Starbucks in the Czech Republic :-(
More communist propaganda: The Czech flag and the Russian flag with communist symbol
The Cathedral at Prague Castle
Jane trying to get a picture of me and the whole Cathedral....
Me, Jane, and baby Hasik
Just hanging out in a guard booth!
Wednesday, January 23, 2008
The Wise Man
I read somewhere that, "The fool wonders but the wise man wanders". I guess that would make me the wise man....which I'm ok with. One of my very favorite things to do after school is stop by the bread stand (by almost every bus stop there are these mini bakeries with fresh bread, rolls, doughnuts, and pastries), get a pastry and wander around the old town at the center of Prague. I usually have no purpose, no map, and no time line so I literally just wander around, get lost, and find fun things. Today I went to the top of the clock tower which has a beautiful view of the city. Nothing else really to write about....so just enjoy these pictures of beautiful Praha!
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
Teaching is a piece of cake!
I am not sure if I mentioned this before but every Tuesday and Thursday we have "Cake Day" during break in the teachers lounge. People sign up to bring treats and they provide coffee and everyone just gets chats and eats yummies. Well....today was my day! So last night, Jane and I found a recipe in the Barefoot Contessa cookbook, went to the grocery store, and went to work making cake. Two cakes actually (chocolate and coconut) since I couldn't decide which one I wanted to make, we cut each recipie in half. We had so much fun!! Martin was off playing basketball with some Young Life guys so we turned on some music and made a mess!! Turns out making cake from scratch is a lot more work than I thought...and that even when you cut a recipie in half it's still like making two cakes. (Kyle--whole game, whole sno cone, half game, whole sno cone...). I finally crawled in to bed around 12 with visions of cake dancing in my head.
However, I must admit that I looked like a little kid carrying a science project to school. It was everything I could do not to tell everyone "Look!! I made a cake!! Don't you wish you could have some...sorry...it's for cake day!" I even let my cake have it's own seat on the metro and on the bus...much to some people's dismay during morning rush hour.
The reward came around 10:30 this morning when everyone was raving about my yummy cake. I think I have a future in this.
School is very boring today. VERY boring. It's like "work on your own projects" day so I'm just sitting here....observing...which is code for BORED OUT OF MY MIND. But I did learn something today...the new Narnia movie was filmed in the Czech Republic! Cool huh?
I feel like the teachers here give their students lots of busywork...worksheets and silly assignments...which I HATE! It is actually one of my biggest teaching pet peeves. If what you are doing will not further the purpose of the objective, what the heck is the point. Ugh! As a student I need to have a reason for performing a task and why should I expect my students to think any differently. Fortunatly I am teaching a lesson on the theme and language of "To Kill a Mockingbird"....it will be interesting to see how the students perform in a discussion versus a worksheet workshop. When I have my own class, one of my goals is to write out the direct PURPOSE and OBJECTIVE for each lesson and make sure that the activities point to them. This sounds common sense but you would be surprised! While in my teaching methods classes I was always annoyed with objectives and stadards and this and that and blah blah blah...but it's all starting to make sense. Ok...I'm babbling on in teacher talk...enough of this!
Lunch time!!
I finally got over my fear of looking like a tourist and took some pictures of the school!!!....
However, I must admit that I looked like a little kid carrying a science project to school. It was everything I could do not to tell everyone "Look!! I made a cake!! Don't you wish you could have some...sorry...it's for cake day!" I even let my cake have it's own seat on the metro and on the bus...much to some people's dismay during morning rush hour.
The reward came around 10:30 this morning when everyone was raving about my yummy cake. I think I have a future in this.
School is very boring today. VERY boring. It's like "work on your own projects" day so I'm just sitting here....observing...which is code for BORED OUT OF MY MIND. But I did learn something today...the new Narnia movie was filmed in the Czech Republic! Cool huh?
I feel like the teachers here give their students lots of busywork...worksheets and silly assignments...which I HATE! It is actually one of my biggest teaching pet peeves. If what you are doing will not further the purpose of the objective, what the heck is the point. Ugh! As a student I need to have a reason for performing a task and why should I expect my students to think any differently. Fortunatly I am teaching a lesson on the theme and language of "To Kill a Mockingbird"....it will be interesting to see how the students perform in a discussion versus a worksheet workshop. When I have my own class, one of my goals is to write out the direct PURPOSE and OBJECTIVE for each lesson and make sure that the activities point to them. This sounds common sense but you would be surprised! While in my teaching methods classes I was always annoyed with objectives and stadards and this and that and blah blah blah...but it's all starting to make sense. Ok...I'm babbling on in teacher talk...enough of this!
Lunch time!!
I finally got over my fear of looking like a tourist and took some pictures of the school!!!....
Sunday, January 20, 2008
The Light at the End of the Tunnel
I AM SO SICK OF BEING SICK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Today is the first day I have felt a little better. It is so wonderful having Martin and Jane here...they are taking care of me and entertaining me at the same time. From Martin performing ballet routines in the kitchen to Jane playing guess the 50 states with me, they have been awesome! Another thing that has been getting through my 'stuck at home' days is OPRAH!! That's right Grandma...your favorite!! Jane has Oprah's 20th anniversary DVD collection that has all the highlights from 20 years of Oprah in 6 (yes SIX) disks...that is hours and hours and hours of America's favorite talk show host. It is even more incredible than it sounds. Oh and I'm reading a wonderful book too (Alice Walker's 'The Color Purple'.....I know everyone's read it
except me but Oprah recommended it on disk 2 and now I just can't put it down)
Tomorrow I am not allowed to be sick anymore. I don't care if I am throwing up everywhere, coughing up my lungs, or spinning dizzily in circles, I am going to school and then I am going to the Old Town to hang out. Period...no if, ands, or buts...four days is WAY to long to be sick in Europe. Besides, it's 90% mental right? Hmmm....If that were the case I doubt I would have ever gotten sick.
I realized today that I only have 11 more days!!! Isn't that awful!!! I almost started crying when I realized that!! I miss everyone back in the states but I am in no way ready to go back!!! Ok...I'm trying not to think about it....
P.S.
Taylor and Brooke.....I am so sorry I haven't call you back!!! I will do so this week I promise!!
Kirsten, Chad, and Shannon.....I will call you guys this week too!
Kyle....sorry I woke you up, I love you!
Molly B, Bonnie, and Jodi....they have High School Musical on TV all the time....dubbed in CZECH!! hahaha
Jenny and Jan....Whitworth email isn't working right now but I will write you guys back asap
Today is the first day I have felt a little better. It is so wonderful having Martin and Jane here...they are taking care of me and entertaining me at the same time. From Martin performing ballet routines in the kitchen to Jane playing guess the 50 states with me, they have been awesome! Another thing that has been getting through my 'stuck at home' days is OPRAH!! That's right Grandma...your favorite!! Jane has Oprah's 20th anniversary DVD collection that has all the highlights from 20 years of Oprah in 6 (yes SIX) disks...that is hours and hours and hours of America's favorite talk show host. It is even more incredible than it sounds. Oh and I'm reading a wonderful book too (Alice Walker's 'The Color Purple'.....I know everyone's read it
except me but Oprah recommended it on disk 2 and now I just can't put it down)Tomorrow I am not allowed to be sick anymore. I don't care if I am throwing up everywhere, coughing up my lungs, or spinning dizzily in circles, I am going to school and then I am going to the Old Town to hang out. Period...no if, ands, or buts...four days is WAY to long to be sick in Europe. Besides, it's 90% mental right? Hmmm....If that were the case I doubt I would have ever gotten sick.
I realized today that I only have 11 more days!!! Isn't that awful!!! I almost started crying when I realized that!! I miss everyone back in the states but I am in no way ready to go back!!! Ok...I'm trying not to think about it....
P.S.
Taylor and Brooke.....I am so sorry I haven't call you back!!! I will do so this week I promise!!
Kirsten, Chad, and Shannon.....I will call you guys this week too!
Kyle....sorry I woke you up, I love you!
Molly B, Bonnie, and Jodi....they have High School Musical on TV all the time....dubbed in CZECH!! hahaha
Jenny and Jan....Whitworth email isn't working right now but I will write you guys back asap
Friday, January 18, 2008
AAhhhhh ChooOooooooo
Sorry I haven't written in a few days. I'm sick :-(
I slept all day yesterday and woke up to go to school but when I got to school I started feeling really yucky again. My lungs were hurting, my body ached, my throat was on fire, and I was really dizzy and freezing cold. I made it most of the day but at the advice of my co-teachers and Jane, I decided to go the doctor.
After finding a doctor that my insurance covered I located it, hopped on the metro, and went to see Dr. Stransky. He was very nice and spoke English pretty well. However, as I sat on the examining bed with the door to the room WIDE open he said, "Lift up this big dress thing you wear!" So after a slight hesitation and a peek around the corner, up with the "big dress thing". No shame.
I couldn't really understand what was wrong with me but it has something to do with a bacteria infection in my throat/lungs...I think it's like strep throat... Anyway, he gave me a prescription and I just picked up my antibiotics.
Before I left he smiled and said, "You can get this kind of sick in America, you don't need to come to Czech". I assured him that I would much rather be sick in Czech than in the states and he said, "Smart girl! Much cheaper to be sick in Czech!"
Now it's sleep time...in Czech.
More than anything I am just frustrated! I only have 1 month in this amazing country and I'm sick. Ugh.
Heal my body Lord!!
Thanks for your thoughts and prayers
I love your comments :-)
I slept all day yesterday and woke up to go to school but when I got to school I started feeling really yucky again. My lungs were hurting, my body ached, my throat was on fire, and I was really dizzy and freezing cold. I made it most of the day but at the advice of my co-teachers and Jane, I decided to go the doctor.
After finding a doctor that my insurance covered I located it, hopped on the metro, and went to see Dr. Stransky. He was very nice and spoke English pretty well. However, as I sat on the examining bed with the door to the room WIDE open he said, "Lift up this big dress thing you wear!" So after a slight hesitation and a peek around the corner, up with the "big dress thing". No shame.
I couldn't really understand what was wrong with me but it has something to do with a bacteria infection in my throat/lungs...I think it's like strep throat... Anyway, he gave me a prescription and I just picked up my antibiotics.
Before I left he smiled and said, "You can get this kind of sick in America, you don't need to come to Czech". I assured him that I would much rather be sick in Czech than in the states and he said, "Smart girl! Much cheaper to be sick in Czech!"
Now it's sleep time...in Czech.
More than anything I am just frustrated! I only have 1 month in this amazing country and I'm sick. Ugh.
Heal my body Lord!!
Thanks for your thoughts and prayers
I love your comments :-)
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
Prayers please
I'm not feeling well :-(
Ya know when you feel like you are getting cold? My throat is starting to hurt and my body is kind of achey. I'm on my way home to load up on airborn and vitamin C but currently, I feel pretty yucky. No good for a beautiful day in a beautiful city. Anyway, I would appreciate your prayers for my health
Love you all
Kels
Ya know when you feel like you are getting cold? My throat is starting to hurt and my body is kind of achey. I'm on my way home to load up on airborn and vitamin C but currently, I feel pretty yucky. No good for a beautiful day in a beautiful city. Anyway, I would appreciate your prayers for my health
Love you all
Kels
Monday, January 14, 2008
Weekend Recap
My weekend can be summed up by a Zen proverb that says, "Every step of the journey is the journey". While the actual events were a little disappointing, what led up to them was worth the while.
Saturday I went to Kutna Hora. A small little town south of Prague that is supposed to be adorable! As it was to be my first train experience in Prague, I looked up the schedule online, found the departures and arrivals, train station location, and allowed myself 1/2 hour to get there. This would not be the first time on my trip that I would underestimate the time.
Apparently, there is more than one train at the "main" train station! Who would've thought! So I arrived with 5 minutes to spare (that's 5 minutes to buy a ticket, figure out which platform to go to, AND get there) and ran to the information booth. The lady in the information booth sent me upstairs and then the lady at the upstairs booth sent me downstairs. This was my first moment of SEVERE frustration in Prague. I wanted so badly to yell "SO WHICH IS IT?!!?!?!?". Instead, I choose a smile that said "Wonderful! I love running up and down the stairs when I am late. Thank you for this opportunity" and went back down. Oh, I forgot to mention...the Kutna Hora train station is not called "Kutna Hora"...that would be too simple...and I didn't know what it was called, hence the trouble finding it. I decided to pull out my famous "Do you speak English" system and ask the other travelers. Except I forgot that when you are in a hurry, you lose all capacity to speak English. It looked something like this: "Do you speak English " (10 times)..."no...no...no...no...no...no...no...no...no...no". Finally...."NO...but how can I help you?" Sounded like English to me, so I went for it. Can we pause and remember I am still under the same 5 minute time crunch. Ok. This is the exciting part, he told me I was on platform 6 and so I literally sprinted a 5k through the train station. You should have seen me go!! Who knew I could run so fast!!! Unfortunately, this story has a very anticlimactic ending as I missed my train. Long story short (although it doesn't seem like I've shortened it much), I found a train that went to a station called Colleen (definatly not spelled like that though) that was close to Kutna Hora. Ok God, is this some kind of joke!! I missed my train out of lack of poor planning and now I am going to a station with the same name as my mother!! My EXTREMELY organized, NEVER late, ALWAYS planned out mother. Funny....really funny.
When I got on the train I heard some people speaking English...American English!! How sweet the sound! So I got up and went to say hello. As it turns out, they were in the same boat! They missed the train to Kutna Hora and were now going this new round about way. Guess what else? They were students from Western!!! Yeah that's right....Western WASHINGTON University. What a small world. We decided to spend the day together and it was SO much fun! We finally got to Kutna Hora and were all equally disappointed. This "adorable" town was more like a dumpy ghost town. We saw 5 people the entire time we were there. However, the big perk of Kutna Hora (rather, the ONLY perk of Kutna Hora) was....drum roll please....the bone church!!!
The bone church or Kostnice is a church filled with designs and...things...made completely out of human bones. The bones are from 40,000 humans that were piled up inside the church for years because they had run out of burial space in the cemetery. It looks like they hired the Addams family to decorate. SUPER cool and SUPER creepy all at the same time!!
The chandelier : contains at least one of every type of bone found in the human body.
Coat of Arms
Entrance to the church
After the church we went and had coffee next door, hopped on the train to go home, and then went to dinner back in Prague. It was so fun to be around a group of American girls that are my age!!
Yesterday, Sunday, was my big ski adventure. A couple of teachers from PBS were going skiing and invited me to come. We got on a charter bus that reminded me of an airplane. Let me explain: The flight attendant-like lady did a safety demonstration, she passed out headphones for the movie, she passed out beverages, and there were assigned seats. All for a 1-hour bus ride. Strange.
We got to the ski resort town of Leberec and found a place to rent (or "hire") stuff. I decided that since I already knew how to downhill ski, I would try x-country. DUMB idea. For once on this trip Kelsey can't you stick to what you know!?!? Nope! So I rented all the stuff (which, by the way, was only $10 for EVERYTHING...crazy!!) and we hopped on another bus and went up to the mountain.
The mountain (and weather) was BEAUTIFUL!! But the snow...not so beautiful...horrible actually. All of the x-country trails were iced over and I couldn't even stand up and I thought I was going to break something. I finally found a 100ft long trail that had ok snow and went up and down a couple times until I got bored. The good news is I brought a book...the bad news is there isn't a lodge...just an outside, stand-up PUB! I spend the rest of the afternoon sitting out in the snow reading and FREEZING my butt off!! I was very excited to get back to my flat that night and take a hot bath. Oh well, it was a funny learning experience I guess. I'm glad I went though, the scenery was beautiful and I got a chance to see another part of the Czech Republic.
4 things I'm excited about:
Short day at school because they have exams
I'm meeting up with my American friends for dinner tonight
The McMurray's got their pink slip to go get their Guatemalan princess Lucy Jane!
Martin and Jane come home today!!!!
Thank you for keeping me in your thoughts and prayers
Love Kels
Saturday I went to Kutna Hora. A small little town south of Prague that is supposed to be adorable! As it was to be my first train experience in Prague, I looked up the schedule online, found the departures and arrivals, train station location, and allowed myself 1/2 hour to get there. This would not be the first time on my trip that I would underestimate the time.
Apparently, there is more than one train at the "main" train station! Who would've thought! So I arrived with 5 minutes to spare (that's 5 minutes to buy a ticket, figure out which platform to go to, AND get there) and ran to the information booth. The lady in the information booth sent me upstairs and then the lady at the upstairs booth sent me downstairs. This was my first moment of SEVERE frustration in Prague. I wanted so badly to yell "SO WHICH IS IT?!!?!?!?". Instead, I choose a smile that said "Wonderful! I love running up and down the stairs when I am late. Thank you for this opportunity" and went back down. Oh, I forgot to mention...the Kutna Hora train station is not called "Kutna Hora"...that would be too simple...and I didn't know what it was called, hence the trouble finding it. I decided to pull out my famous "Do you speak English" system and ask the other travelers. Except I forgot that when you are in a hurry, you lose all capacity to speak English. It looked something like this: "Do you speak English " (10 times)..."no...no...no...no...no...no...no...no...no...no". Finally...."NO...but how can I help you?" Sounded like English to me, so I went for it. Can we pause and remember I am still under the same 5 minute time crunch. Ok. This is the exciting part, he told me I was on platform 6 and so I literally sprinted a 5k through the train station. You should have seen me go!! Who knew I could run so fast!!! Unfortunately, this story has a very anticlimactic ending as I missed my train. Long story short (although it doesn't seem like I've shortened it much), I found a train that went to a station called Colleen (definatly not spelled like that though) that was close to Kutna Hora. Ok God, is this some kind of joke!! I missed my train out of lack of poor planning and now I am going to a station with the same name as my mother!! My EXTREMELY organized, NEVER late, ALWAYS planned out mother. Funny....really funny.
When I got on the train I heard some people speaking English...American English!! How sweet the sound! So I got up and went to say hello. As it turns out, they were in the same boat! They missed the train to Kutna Hora and were now going this new round about way. Guess what else? They were students from Western!!! Yeah that's right....Western WASHINGTON University. What a small world. We decided to spend the day together and it was SO much fun! We finally got to Kutna Hora and were all equally disappointed. This "adorable" town was more like a dumpy ghost town. We saw 5 people the entire time we were there. However, the big perk of Kutna Hora (rather, the ONLY perk of Kutna Hora) was....drum roll please....the bone church!!!
The bone church or Kostnice is a church filled with designs and...things...made completely out of human bones. The bones are from 40,000 humans that were piled up inside the church for years because they had run out of burial space in the cemetery. It looks like they hired the Addams family to decorate. SUPER cool and SUPER creepy all at the same time!!
The chandelier : contains at least one of every type of bone found in the human body.
Coat of Arms
Entrance to the churchAfter the church we went and had coffee next door, hopped on the train to go home, and then went to dinner back in Prague. It was so fun to be around a group of American girls that are my age!!
Yesterday, Sunday, was my big ski adventure. A couple of teachers from PBS were going skiing and invited me to come. We got on a charter bus that reminded me of an airplane. Let me explain: The flight attendant-like lady did a safety demonstration, she passed out headphones for the movie, she passed out beverages, and there were assigned seats. All for a 1-hour bus ride. Strange.
We got to the ski resort town of Leberec and found a place to rent (or "hire") stuff. I decided that since I already knew how to downhill ski, I would try x-country. DUMB idea. For once on this trip Kelsey can't you stick to what you know!?!? Nope! So I rented all the stuff (which, by the way, was only $10 for EVERYTHING...crazy!!) and we hopped on another bus and went up to the mountain.
The mountain (and weather) was BEAUTIFUL!! But the snow...not so beautiful...horrible actually. All of the x-country trails were iced over and I couldn't even stand up and I thought I was going to break something. I finally found a 100ft long trail that had ok snow and went up and down a couple times until I got bored. The good news is I brought a book...the bad news is there isn't a lodge...just an outside, stand-up PUB! I spend the rest of the afternoon sitting out in the snow reading and FREEZING my butt off!! I was very excited to get back to my flat that night and take a hot bath. Oh well, it was a funny learning experience I guess. I'm glad I went though, the scenery was beautiful and I got a chance to see another part of the Czech Republic.4 things I'm excited about:
Short day at school because they have exams
I'm meeting up with my American friends for dinner tonight
The McMurray's got their pink slip to go get their Guatemalan princess Lucy Jane!
Martin and Jane come home today!!!!
Thank you for keeping me in your thoughts and prayers
Love Kels
Friday, January 11, 2008
Date Night!
Yup that's right! I went on a date...by myself!! Nothing says fun like a weepy romance and a bag of stale popcorn--for 1! But staying home on a Friday night didn't sound much better and I was too tired to go check out the club scene so...movie it is!
I looked online until I found a movie in English (and that's REAL English, not dubbed in Czech with English subtitles) and settled on "P.S. I Love You" or rather "P.S. Miluji Te". When I walked into the theater, the first thing I thought was "Kyle would LOVE this place!!!!!" Not only did the concession stand sell beer, but they also had 4 different kinds of popcorn to choose from: salty, sweet, cheddar, and cheese and bacon. I was boring and got salty.
Carrying my treats, I found the right theater (after translating my ticket stub that had entirely too many numbers) and went to sit down. However, I soon figured out that it wasn't a free-for-all but reserved seating!! Examining my ticket a little bit more I found a "D6" and went and sat down in row "D" seat "6". The problem with reserved seating isn't that you can't sit wherever you want...no...the problem is that, when you're alone, you don't get to choose whom you sit next to! As luck would have it, I was surrounded by 4 couples: left, right, behind, in front. The couple in front were making out like animals while the others were snuggling and holding hands. Great. The awkward 9th wheel.
The movie started and all the previews were in Czech and they were more like commercials than previews. Instead of the newest Denzel flick, it was orange juice and instead of the sequel to Narnia it was a cell phone company. They threw in a little porn in right before the movie just to spice things up...boobs galore!
The movie was wonderful and Hilary Swank's character reminded me so much of myself. If you have ever been to a movie with me, you know I do not shy away from my emotions. So I began to cry....well cry is an understatement.... I began to WEEP! Tears just streaming down my face. I'm sure everyone else felt the same way, but they just had their significant others to help them deal with the emotions...at least thats what I told myself.
Now I am home and so ready for bed!! Tomorrow? Czesky Krumlov I think....
Miluji Te!
I looked online until I found a movie in English (and that's REAL English, not dubbed in Czech with English subtitles) and settled on "P.S. I Love You" or rather "P.S. Miluji Te". When I walked into the theater, the first thing I thought was "Kyle would LOVE this place!!!!!" Not only did the concession stand sell beer, but they also had 4 different kinds of popcorn to choose from: salty, sweet, cheddar, and cheese and bacon. I was boring and got salty.
Carrying my treats, I found the right theater (after translating my ticket stub that had entirely too many numbers) and went to sit down. However, I soon figured out that it wasn't a free-for-all but reserved seating!! Examining my ticket a little bit more I found a "D6" and went and sat down in row "D" seat "6". The problem with reserved seating isn't that you can't sit wherever you want...no...the problem is that, when you're alone, you don't get to choose whom you sit next to! As luck would have it, I was surrounded by 4 couples: left, right, behind, in front. The couple in front were making out like animals while the others were snuggling and holding hands. Great. The awkward 9th wheel.
The movie started and all the previews were in Czech and they were more like commercials than previews. Instead of the newest Denzel flick, it was orange juice and instead of the sequel to Narnia it was a cell phone company. They threw in a little porn in right before the movie just to spice things up...boobs galore!
The movie was wonderful and Hilary Swank's character reminded me so much of myself. If you have ever been to a movie with me, you know I do not shy away from my emotions. So I began to cry....well cry is an understatement.... I began to WEEP! Tears just streaming down my face. I'm sure everyone else felt the same way, but they just had their significant others to help them deal with the emotions...at least thats what I told myself.
Now I am home and so ready for bed!! Tomorrow? Czesky Krumlov I think....
Miluji Te!
Thursday, January 10, 2008
Just another day in PRAHA!
Today was a great day! The sun was shining, I wore a cute dress to school, and I didn't get lost...not once!
I have realized that my life has a soundtrack and when I think about the different moments in my day, a new song comes to mind. Perhaps it's because I have always wanted to be a movie star!! But either way, I believe music adds meaning to an otherwise ordinary situation. Every morning I listen to KT Tunstall, "Suddenly I See". It's my power song and after listening to it I feel ready for the day! However, I must say, David Gray has been my soundtrack for this trip thus far. But I was walking home from school tonight and feeling a little sad and lonely and Kendall Payne "I Will Show You Love" came on and reminded me that I am not alone...no matter how I may feel.
My favorite thing about the students at PBS is that they never call you by your last name (Ms. Merriman) but instead, they just say "Misses". It is absolutely adorable! (Say the following aloud with a British accent) "Misses, what pages do we read?" "Misses, when is this due?" "Misses, how was your holiday?" I love it!!! It reminds me of Mary Poppins!
Today in creative writing, the students were reading a short story by Bill Bryson about his life growing up in Iowa. Only one student in the whole class is a native English speaker so there are dictionaries in case they don't know a word. I was looking around the class and noticed that one of the Czech students looked very frustrated and was flipping through the dictionary furiously. Finally, he raised his hand and said, "Misses! I don't know what this word means and I can't find it anywhere in the dictionary". It turns out the word was "purdy" (like pretty with a southern accent). We tried to explain this to him but he didn't really get it. Haha!
On my way home today, I sat next to a man wearing a nice suit, carrying a briefcase, and reading the paper...ya know, your typical business man! When he stood up, he grabbed his briefcase and I saw that there was a huge picture of Batman on the front of it! Go figure!!!
The beautiful city!
The dancing building: named because it looks like two people are dancing...some people call it Fred and Ginger named after the famous dancing duo. Oddly, it blends in perfectly with the old architecture that surrounds it
I have realized that my life has a soundtrack and when I think about the different moments in my day, a new song comes to mind. Perhaps it's because I have always wanted to be a movie star!! But either way, I believe music adds meaning to an otherwise ordinary situation. Every morning I listen to KT Tunstall, "Suddenly I See". It's my power song and after listening to it I feel ready for the day! However, I must say, David Gray has been my soundtrack for this trip thus far. But I was walking home from school tonight and feeling a little sad and lonely and Kendall Payne "I Will Show You Love" came on and reminded me that I am not alone...no matter how I may feel.
My favorite thing about the students at PBS is that they never call you by your last name (Ms. Merriman) but instead, they just say "Misses". It is absolutely adorable! (Say the following aloud with a British accent) "Misses, what pages do we read?" "Misses, when is this due?" "Misses, how was your holiday?" I love it!!! It reminds me of Mary Poppins!
Today in creative writing, the students were reading a short story by Bill Bryson about his life growing up in Iowa. Only one student in the whole class is a native English speaker so there are dictionaries in case they don't know a word. I was looking around the class and noticed that one of the Czech students looked very frustrated and was flipping through the dictionary furiously. Finally, he raised his hand and said, "Misses! I don't know what this word means and I can't find it anywhere in the dictionary". It turns out the word was "purdy" (like pretty with a southern accent). We tried to explain this to him but he didn't really get it. Haha!
On my way home today, I sat next to a man wearing a nice suit, carrying a briefcase, and reading the paper...ya know, your typical business man! When he stood up, he grabbed his briefcase and I saw that there was a huge picture of Batman on the front of it! Go figure!!!
The beautiful city!
The dancing building: named because it looks like two people are dancing...some people call it Fred and Ginger named after the famous dancing duo. Oddly, it blends in perfectly with the old architecture that surrounds it
Wednesday, January 9, 2008
Quick note!
Today felt like a really long day and I'm tired. Nothing very exciting to report...
School.
Nove Mesto (New Town).
Shopping.
Dinner.
....hopefully bed follows soon after :-)
xoxo
School.
Nove Mesto (New Town).
Shopping.
Dinner.
....hopefully bed follows soon after :-)
xoxo
Tuesday, January 8, 2008
Flying Solo
<------Look at my carrots!! They aren't washed, cut, peeled, or rounded into little stubs!! Cool huh? I feel like a bunny I absolutely LOVE my school!!!!!! The people are so much fun and today was wonderful. My new and improved route makes life so much easier and I don't arrive at school feeling like I've just run the Boston marathon. Plus, the cool thing to do is where running shoes and then when I arrive, change into my nice shoes....actually I don't know if thats the cool thing...but it will be soon, just wait and see!! The best part of today? I got to fly solo in the classroom! Thats right...I was a real live-on my own-don't mess with Texas-I know everything about "To Kill a Mockingbird"-teacher! Let me back up... apparently they don't have subs at the PBS so when someone is gone the other teachers cover different classes during their planning period. That may sound convenient but I guess it causes tension and teachers get frustrated with each other if they are gone too much or what have you. ANYWAY, one of the teachers came to school and wasn't feeling well so they sent her home last minute and guess who got to fill in??....yours truly :-) I only taught 2 classes because they really aren't supposed to let me do that but they were desperate but it was great. Teaching a class is 110% more fun than watching a class be taught. Things went pretty well considering that I had no time to plan anything. However, I did have some classroom management problems with the 7th graders (high school here is 7-13). For the life of me I could not get them interested in Anne Frank! I did everything.....write your own diary, role play, what do you enjoy, what would you do if you were her, blahblahblah. They hate it!!! In my opinion, 11 year olds are too young to read that book but thats what they were assigned to so I did my best. They kept laughing and talking in Czech (they were probably making fun of me and I didn't even know it) and finally one of the girls said something in Czech and I looked at her and said "Hey!" and she freaked out and said, "You understand Czech?!?!"....of course I replied "I sure do! Now pay attention!!" Suddenly English became our primary language. At the end of the class they asked "Do you like us?!?!" to which I replied "Yes...I love you...but you are driving me crazy...now leave!!" and they laughed and packed up their stuff. It was a lot of fun but I struggled with showing them who was boss. In April, the school is performing "Grease". I went to the rehearsal during lunch and it was so funny!! Imagine a whole bunch of students, with English as their second or third language singing "Summer Lovin'" completely off cue! It was so cute!! One of the requirements for this course is that I have to write a vision statement for this experience. Currently my vision statement is "To get a British accent...". That's all I have so far but I think its a pretty legit vision statement. Some of my favorite British quotes of the day: "He has a fancy for her" (vs. He has a crush on her) "Well that is absolutely brilliant!" (vs. That is great!) "Would it be happy to have her in your class?" (vs. would it be ok to have her in your class?) "Do you have a plasty?" (vs. do you have a band aid) I am having the time of my life. I thought I would be more lonely and homesick but...praise God...I haven't been at all! Confucius once said, "No matter where you go, there you are". I have realized that more this trip then I ever have before... and how beautiful it is. I believe that everyone should take time in their life to be alone. To just BE; studying your solitude while listening to the one who created you with passion and purpose. We get so wrapped up in everything around us that we need to step back and look at the bigger picture. Thank you to everyone who made this experience possible for me....mom, dad, Jitka, Pavel, Jane, Martin...you are all so wonderful and I feel blessed to have you in my life.
My flat (well actually, Martin and Jane's flat...but I kinda feel like it's mine)... The living room
A padded door in case I go crazy....look at all those locks dad!!
The kitchen
Look! The toilet has its own room! The sink and shower are in the next room!!!
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